Moeller earns first World Cup win as another injured skier is airlifted off 2026 Olympics slope

BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Fredrik Moeller of Norway claimed his first World Cup victory by winning a super-G that got off to an inauspicious start on Sunday as Gino Caviezel became the third skier this weekend to be airlifted off the slope set to be used for the 2026 Olympics.

After Alexis Monney’s debut World Cup win in the downhill the previous day, Moeller also recorded his first victory on the circuit with an early benchmark run down the fearsome Stelvio slope to finish 0.20 seconds ahead of Austrian skier Vincent Kriechmayr.

“It feels really good,” Moeller said. “My skiing was obviously good. It felt like I had some mistakes, which I did, but they weren’t that costly. I managed to ski well where I know I can, and not do anything stupid."

Monney, who was 27th out of the gate, threatened to knock Moeller out of the leader’s chair after the Swiss skier recovered from a poor start but finished third, just four hundredths of a second behind Kriechmayr — to Moeller’s obvious relief.

“It’s crazy. I don’t know really what to say and I don’t realize what happened this weekend,” Monney told The Associated Press. “The Olympics is still far away, but for sure the slope I like it a lot.”

Like Monney, Moeller had never even been on the podium prior to this weekend. His previous best finish was fourth.

But the young guns clearly enjoyed the Stelvio, where the men’s Alpine skiing events are set to take place in 14 months at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

“Incredible. I’m 33 years old, and they keep pushing all the time,” Kriechmayr said. “They are always on the limit. Now I think you have to be 100% from top to bottom, and if you’re not searching for the limit you’re not able to beat them.

“It’s good to know what I have to do, but it’s incredible what they are doing now.”

Both Monney and Moeller are 24.

“Yeah it’s crazy, it’s really nice that we can push a bit the older ones, get better maybe,” Monney added with a laugh.

Monney's more lauded teammate Marco Odermatt leaves Bormio without a podium finish this weekend. As in the downhill, the three-time overall champion was fifth, sandwiched between two other Swiss teammates — Stefan Rogentin and Franjo von Allmen.

It was a miserable day for compatriot Caviezel, however.

The 32-year-old was first out of the gates but crashed heavily early on and was flown by Swiss Air Rescue straight back to Switzerland where he was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder as well as “a complex knee injury,” according to his ski federation.

French standout Cyprien Sarrazin and Italian Pietro Zazzi were also taken off the slope by helicopter after crashing in separate incidents in downhill training on Friday.

Sarrazin underwent surgery to drain a bleed near the brain while Zazzi had an operation on his leg.

Odermatt still leads the super-G standings but has seen his advantage cut to just five points by Moeller. He leads the overall standings by 161 points.

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Emergencies helicopter takes Switzerland's Gino Caviezel to the hospital after his fall during an alpine ski, men's World Cup Super G race, in Bormio, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup Super G race, in Bormio, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Alexis Monney speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup Super G race, in Bormio, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Alexis Monney reacts after completing an alpine ski, men's World Cup Super G race, in Bormio, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Norway's Fredrik Moeller speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup Super G race, in Bormio, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

From left, second placed Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr, the winner Norway's Fredrik Moeller, and third placed Switzerland's Alexis Monney celebrate after an alpine ski, men's World Cup Super G race, in Bormio, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

The winner Norway's Fredrik Moeller celebrates after an alpine ski, men's World Cup Super G race, in Bormio, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has ushered in the New Year with a renewed appeal for the faithful to reject abortion, calling for a “firm commitment” to protect and respect life from conception to natural death.

Francis, 88, celebrated a New Year’s Day Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday that was dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In his homily, he prayed that everyone learns to care for “every child born of a woman” and to protect “the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying.”

“I ask for a firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, so that each person may cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to the future,” he said, using the terminology of the church's opposition to abortion and assisted suicide.

In recent years, the Argentine Jesuit has been speaking out more emphatically about abortion than he did at the start of his pontificate. After two doctrinaire popes, Francis complained in the first months of his papacy in 2013 that the church had become obsessed by “small-minded rules” about hot-button issues like abortion.

Francis now regularly refers to procuring an abortion as “hiring a hitman to solve a problem.” He recently sparked outrage in Belgium when he criticized its abortion law as “homicidal” and announced he wanted to beatify Belgium's late king who abdicated for a day rather than approve legislation legalizing the procedure. The Vatican recently announced that the beatification process is under way for King Baudouin, who died in 1993.

The morning Mass marked the final big event of Francis' busy Christmas schedule. For the pope, who suffers from recurrent respiratory problems, this year's season was even more challenging with the start of the Vatican's big Holy Year, a once-every-quarter-century celebration of the faith that is expected to bring 32 million pilgrims to Rome during 2025.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Faithful and a pontifical Swiss guard follow Pope Francis presiding over a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bishops follow Pope Francis presiding over a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Faithful and a pontifical Swiss guard follow Pope Francis presiding over a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis presides over a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis delivers his homily during a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis presides over a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis is flanked by Vatican Head Master of Ceremonies, Bishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, right, and Master of Ceremonies, Bishop Krysztof Marcjanowicz as he presides over a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis presides over a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis delivers his homily during a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis is flanked by Vatican Head Master of Ceremonies, Bishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, right, and Master of Ceremonies, Bishop Krysztof Marcjanowicz as he presides over a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)